FIGS. 16-18 illustrate two prior art shift levers. In FIG. 16, a prior art shift lever 200 is provided with a tapered push button 220 having a knob 210 made of resin or the like. The push button 220 is slidably mounted in the knob 210 of the shift lever 200. The knob 210 is mounted on the upper end portion of an outer cover 211 which is pivotable about a shaft 213 relative to the vehicle body 212. Depressing the push button 220 causes the tapered portion of the push button 220 to push down the upper end of a rod 221 in the outer cover 211, so that the shift lever 200 is pivoted. The knob 210 also has a switch 215 which is primarily used for switching on and off the control for "overdrive." An upwardly extending space 214 is provided within the outer cover 211 through which a harness 219 below an indicator cover 216 on the vehicle body side is electrically connected to the switch 215. A cord 217 having one end connected with the switch 215 runs through the space 214. The cord 217 is thus directed to the lower end of outer cover 211 where it is connected with the harness 219 via a coupler 218.
With the aforementioned prior art shift lever construction, a space is required in the knob 210 where the cord 217 is connected with the switch 215 and another space 214 is required which allows the cord 217 to run within the outer cover 211. It is difficult, time-consuming work to insert the cord 217 into the space 214 and to also electrically connect the cord 217 with the switch 215.
FIGS. 17 and 18 show another prior art construction of a shift lever. This shift lever 300 has a push button 301 whose axial center G.sub.o is not intercepted by the axis of a rod 303. The push button 301 is essentially a cylinder-shaped column having a substantially elliptic cross section. When a pressing portion 301a is pressed away from the center G.sub.o, the push button 30 engages a force transmitting block 304 secured to the rod 303. Depressing the push button 301 causes the pressing portion 301a to push a beveled surface 304a of the force transmitting block 304, which in turn presses the rod 303 in a downward direction. At the same time, the push button 301 receives the reaction of the force transmitting block 304 in the direction of an arrow X, so that a rotational force is exerted on the push button 301 in the direction of an arrow H.sub.o. Note that there is a small clearance between the push button 301 and a hollow space 305a of a core 305 that holds the push button 301. Therefore, when the push button 301 is rotated by the aforementioned rotational force, the push button 301 abuts the core 305 at points Y and Z in the hollow space 305a where forces act in the directions of arrows F1 and F2, respectively. The push button 301 therefore experiences a large resistance when it slides along the wall of the hollow space 305a, so that the push button 301 does not move smoothly and may not return to its home position due to insufficient urging forces of springs 302 and 306.